st. simons island notes: i came for the numbers, stayed for the humidity
i'm not supposed to be here. i'm supposed to be in a conference room in chicago, pitching to a client about synergy and leveraging core competencies. but instead, i'm on st. simons island, georgia, with my feet buried in the *sand and the numbers 4184845 and 1840013875 scribbled on my palm in sharpie. those numbers used to be a project code for some oil company's supply chain optimization. now they're just...there. like a mantra. the weather here is something else. i just checked my phone and it reads 25.03°C, feels like 25.49, humidity 73%. that's not even that hot, but the air is so thick you could cut it with a knife. my shirt is stuck to my back and i haven't even moved. i used to live for metrics, but now i measure my day by how many times i have to wipe sweat from my brow. it's a different kind of KPI. i got here by following a random google maps pin. actually, i typed in some coordinates i found on a sticky note at a coffee shop in savannah: 31.1449, -81.4746. that landed me right about...here. i'll embed a map so you can see exactly where i'm ranting from.
the island is...quiet. there are golf carts buzzing around, families on bicycles, and the occasional pelican dive-bombing the water. i saw a bridge from across the marsh that looked like it was holding the sky up. (i think that's the image i took, actually.)
i've been eating a lot of shrimp. like, a lot. someone told me that the best place to get them is at this little shack called 'buddy's' down by the pier. i heard that they only take cash and the guy behind the counter might try to shortchange you if you're not paying attention. but i also read on yelp that their garlic butter is 'life-changing'. Yelp's top seafood spots. i went. it was...okay. not life-changing, but decent. the kind of decent where you don't regret spending $12 on a plate of fries and three shrimp. the humidity is a constant reminder that my body is just a sweat factory. i've started to appreciate the little breezes that come off the water. they smell like salt and maybe a hint of low tide. i'm told that in the summer it's even worse-like walking through soup. but right now, at 25 degrees, it's manageable if you stay in the shade. there's a tree near my rental that has these weird fruits that look like they're from an alien planet. they're green and spiky but apparently edible? i wouldn't know; i'm not that brave.
i keep thinking about those numbers. 4184845, 1840013875. are they coordinates? a secret code? maybe they're the combination to some treasure chest buried under this beach. i asked a local about them. he just laughed and said, 'boy, you consultants and your numbers. get a life.' he had a point. if you get bored of the island's slow rhythm, savannah's just a short drive away-about an hour north. it's a beautiful city with all that history and squares. and if you need a bigger airport, jacksonville's about two hours south. but why would you leave? i'm trying to soak up the vibe before i have to go back to the real world. i've been reading some reviews on tripadvisor out of boredom. someone wrote that the lighthouse tour is 'must-see' but another said the guide was 'snarky and unprofessional'. i guess it's all about perspective. i decided to skip the lighthouse and just watch the sunset from the pier. best decision i've made all week. TripAdvisor's St. Simons Island attractions. i'm starting to think that maybe i don't need to go back. maybe i can just...stay. but then the numbers pop back into my head: 4184845, 1840013875. they remind me of deadlines, of spreadsheets, of the corporate grind. maybe i need to delete them from my memory. or maybe i need to learn to live with them, like the humidity.
that plane in the picture? it's taking off from some airport, probably heading somewhere far more exciting than this island. or maybe it's leaving for the same reason i'm here: to escape. i don't know. all i know is that the experts say to follow your passion, but my passion right now is finding an air-conditioned cafe. i've been scrolling through the forum, and someone warned me about the mosquitoes at dusk. they weren't kidding. i got bit five times in ten minutes. lesson learned. The local island forum. also, if you plan a trip, check out Savannah's travel board. they have good info on ferry schedules. so here i am, on this island, with sand in my shoes and numbers in my head. maybe tomorrow i'll rent a kayak and paddle to that bridge i saw. or maybe i'll just stay on the beach and count the waves. either way, i'm not checking my email for a while. the consultant* can chill.
You might also be interested in:
- https://votoris.com/post/dhakas-sweatsoaked-secrets-a-digital-nomads-sticky-guide
- https://votoris.com/post/dusty-alleys-stolen-sarees-chennais-underground-vintage-scene-even-your-grandma-missed
- https://votoris.com/post/job-market-analysis-most-indemand-careers-in-daejeon-according-to-a-touring-drummer-who-accidentally-became-employed
- https://votoris.com/post/hanoi-is-still-here-and-i-still-hate-that-about-it
- https://votoris.com/post/baghdads-top-employers-hidden-job-hunting-traps-spoiler-theyre-not-in-the-green-zone